I Would Wait A Lifetime For You
by Norah Rose
Summary: The point man and the architect have chemistry. It's undeniable.
1. The Meeting

**Author's Note: Greetings all! I recently saw Inception and I simply can't get it out of my mind. Heh. No pun intended! Arthur and Ariadne were wonderful the entire movie and I feel like they have SO much potential. This is my first Inception fanfic. I hope you all enjoy. And, of course, I don't own any of this.**

Ariadne sat at a small table, drinking a cup of coffee. She looked around at her surroundings. She loved this little café. It reminded her of the first time Cobb had told her about dreams. The dream had looked nearly identical to the streets of Paris. Ariadne visited this place at least once a week… She just liked to remember.

It had been two months since the Inception. The team had all went their separate ways. Ariadne hadn't seen any of them since then. Eames had called her once, offering a job, but she had politely declined. It was time to return to reality, she decided.

Cobb had returned to live with his family. Eames had jumped straight into other jobs. Yusuf had returned to his prior life. Saito returned to his home and company. Ariadne had returned to school. Arthur had left quite mysteriously. Having worked with Cobb for a long time, no one really knew where Arthur would go from here. The last she'd heard, Arthur was living in New York City. Ariadne hadn't spoken to him in so long since they'd left the airport.

Ariadne took one last sip of her coffee and left. She returned to the campus and walked through the hallways towards her room. The halls were oddly empty today. As Ariadne turned the corner to her door, she was struck by a familiar face.

Arthur was leaning against the door. His dark hair was slicked back. He was wearing a suit. Big surprise, Ariadne thought smugly. He smiled slightly at her.

"Arthur…" She choked out in surprise. "What, uh, what are you doing here?"

"No 'I'm happy to see you'?" He asked, chuckling quietly to himself.

Ariadne caught herself smiling. "Of course, I'm happy to see you." She walked towards Arthur and gave him a hug that was only slightly awkward.

"It's good to see you too." He said, still smirking a bit. "But, I am actually here for a reason. Can I come in?" He asked, motioning towards the door.

Ariadne opened the door quickly and led Arthur inside. "Want a drink or something?" She asked as they both took a seat on the couch.

"I'm fine." Arthur said, his face suddenly turning serious. "I was wondering if you… wanted to join a team."

"A team?" Ariadne said, doubtfully.

"Well, my team." Arthur answered. "I've gotten Eames and Yusuf back on board. We need an Architect, and I can think of no one better."

Ariadne blushed as Arthur complimented her. "I told Eames I was done." She said, with a worried look on her face.

Arthur nodded and got to his feet. "I understand. It was… very good to see you." He started walking to the door.

Ariadne jumped quickly up. "Arthur! That… that wasn't a no." She said, looking brightly at him.

"Ariadne," He said her name slowly, pronouncing every letter. "I don't want to draw you away from your studies. You are a superb architect, simply the best, but if this isn't what you want, I'm not going to be selfish. You deserve to live whatever life you choose."

She smiled at his genuine response. "Come on, Arthur. How could I go back to a normal life now? You know how the dream world is. There's nothing…"

"Quite like it." Arthur finished quietly.

"Yeah." Ariadne smiled.

Arthur returned to his seat on the couch next to the girl.

The two were silent for a moment. They were completely lost in thought. Ariadne finally broke the quiet. "So Cobb…" She started.

"Cobb's out." Arthur said, solemnly. "In fact, I haven't even asked him to join. I'm not going to. He finally has his family back. He's happy." Arthur looked down and wrung his hands.

Ariadne muttered a quiet response and changed the subject. "It seems like it's been so long. How've you been? What have you been doing?" She quizzed him.

Arthur leaned back against the couch. "Odd jobs. Nothing important." He brushed her questions off easily and returned to the subject at hand. "I have a client, a very simple extraction job. It should be no problem, but we need something easy to get us back to the feel of dreams."

"Of course," Ariadne agreed.

"I have a place for us to stay, an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of New York. I've booked a flight for both of us tomorrow morning. We'll only use those tickets if that will be enough time for you to pack." Arthur looked curiously around the room.

"It'll be plenty of time." Ariadne stood and rushed into her bedroom. She pulled her suitcase out of the closet and immediately began throwing things in. It had been too long since she'd been in the dream world.

One hour later, Ariadne had completely finished packing. She had decided to pack lightly. In dreams, she wouldn't need much.

The architect emerged from her bedroom to find Arthur gone. She looked around in confusion for a moment before finding a small note on the table in front of the couch.

_Ariadne,_

_I've stepped out to get us dinner. I didn't want to bother you._

_- Arthur_

Ariadne rolled her eyes at the neatly written note. Arthur, always the gentleman, had thought that saying a few words to her while packing would be a "bother". She sat the note back down and returned to her room to check that she hadn't forgotten anything important.

Several minutes later, there was a quiet knock on the door. Ariadne opened the door to find Arthur with a metal suitcase in one hand and a bag of takeout in the other. He hadn't just gone out for food.

"You're back." She said, closing the door after Arthur.

"I'm back." He nodded. "I hope Chinese is okay." The man sat the bag of food on the table in front of the couch. However, he sat the suitcase right in front of his feet as he took a seat on the couch.

Ariadne gestured at the case as she also took a seat. "You brought more than food." She said, raising an eyebrow.

Arthur looked down at the case before answering. "I can't dream anymore. I can hardly sleep. I know it isn't a good idea, but sometimes it's my only option."

"I understand. Just, don't get lost in there. Okay?" The faintest trace of worry was clear on the girl's face.

"Okay." Arthur promised, looking straight into Ariadne's eyes. He then leaned forward to get food out of the bag.

The two ate in a comfortable silence, speaking rarely about business. It seemed as though they were afraid to get too personal. When they had both finished, it was dark outside.

Knowing their next day would be a long one, Arthur suggested that Ariadne get to sleep early.

"Well, where are you staying?" Ariadne asked when Arthur stood up at the same time as her.

"I'll find a hotel." He answered quickly.

Ariadne glanced around the room and made a decision. "No. That's... dumb, Just stay here. You can, uh, sleep on the couch, if that's alright." She offered, awkwardly.

Arthur smiled. "That would be fine. Thank you, Ariadne."

She couldn't help but smile as she rushed into the bedroom to get a pillow and blanket.

After giving Arthur the beddings, Ariadne bid him a quick goodnight and went into her room. She shut the door softly behind her. It wasn't long until she heard the sounds that indicated he was asleep.

She peeked out the door and saw the telling wire in Arthur's arm. He was dreaming. His face was cool and, as always, his dark hair was slicked perfectly back. The point man looked as if he didn't have a worry in the world.

It was such a pleasant sight that Ariadne couldn't help herself. Her curiosity, once again, got the best of her and she rushed to the suitcase on the table. She quickly hooked herself up to Arthur's dream, and fell asleep. Let's see what he was dreaming about.

**Author's Note: So… What do you all think? Should I continue? I'm not sure if I will. Just let me know!**


	2. The Dream

**Author's Note: Wow. The amount of feedback I've had on this story is amazing. I think there are more story alerts/favorites for this story than I've ever gotten. Here's the next chapter! There's not much plot work going on here, but it's very cute. More plot next chapter! Any feedback is very greatly appreciated.**

"_**I don't wanna wake before the dream is over. I'm gonna make it mine."**_

When Ariadne opened her eyes into Arthur's dream, she realized that she knew exactly where she was. This was a place from her memory. It was the large building from the Fischer Project. It occurred to her that she had never asked Cobb if building from memories in dreams was a bad idea. It must not have been if Arthur was doing it.

Projections bustled around Ariadne. They were all carrying briefcases, as though they were heading to an important business meeting.

As Ariadne looked around the large building, memories rushed into her mind. Across the room was the bench where she and Arthur had sat, waiting to make a move as Mr. Charles talked to Fischer. That was the place where Arthur had stolen a kiss from her.

Neither Arthur nor Ariadne had ever mentioned the events that occurred while sitting on that bench. He had clearly known that kissing her would do nothing to stop the projections, yet he had kissed her anyway.

Ariadne was not angry though. Surprised, yes, but never angry. Arthur's kiss was exactly what she would have expected. It was brief, yet unbearably sweet, as if he was being careful not to break her. The kiss was much like Arthur, extremely polite.

The girl had tried to forget the kiss. She tried to brush it off as nothing, but it lingered in her mind and on her lips. She had wanted so badly to ask Arthur about it after the dream, but the time was never right.

Suddenly, Ariadne was jostled out of her thoughts by a bump on her side. Her eyes snapped over and she saw a tall, blonde haired man staring at her.

"Sorry," He fumbled. "It's just you are so very beautiful and I was distracted. Please forgive me." The man rushed off and was gone.

Ariadne stood shocked. _This_ was Arthur's subconscious? He had noticed her, not because she was in Arthur's dream, but because she was beautiful. That was weird, right? Projections didn't normally act like that.

Trying not to over analyze the strange incident, Ariadne walked around a corner and into the bar. She saw Arthur there, sitting at the back table. He was alone and having a drink.

Ariadne debated on whether or not to reveal herself to him, but she couldn't help herself. The girl walked confidently forward and took a seat in front of Arthur.

He looked up from his drink and his expression quickly changed to shock. "Ari! What are you doing here?" He asked, sounding more off guard than Ariadne had ever heard.

"I'm sorry." She apologized quickly. "I was curious and I couldn't sleep and you looked peaceful… So… Yeah." She finished speaking awkwardly and flashed Arthur a small smile, which she hoped would help smooth things over.

He only shook his head the tiniest bit and took another, longer drink.

When he didn't respond, Ariadne spoke again. "Are you mad?"

Arthur raised his eyes to meet hers'. "I'm not mad. I understand. It was, of course, a terrible idea. You never know what you might find in someone else's dreams. It could be anything…"

Hearing that Arthur wasn't angry, Ariadne perked up a bit. "Well, this place seems safe enough." She said, looking at the man brightly. "Why did you build this anyway?"

"I like the memories here." Arthur replied, smoothly.

Ariadne brushed off his comment and looked around. The bar was dark and filled with projections. It certainly wasn't the best place to talk.

Sensing Ariadne's feelings regarding the bar, Arthur suggested they step out. Ariadne followed him out the door.

Arthur walked straight to the bench where the point man and architect had once shared a kiss. He took a seat and scooted for Ariadne to sit next to him. She warily sat down. This was all too familiar for comfort.

"Remember this place?" Arthur asked, his brown eyes looking appearing to look straight into Ariadne.

"Of course." She answered quickly in response.

There was a moment of silence before the girl spoke again. She decided to take the risk and finally attempt to discuss the kiss. "So… why did you do it?" She asked cautiously.

Arthur raised an eyebrow slightly. "Do what?"

"C'mon Arthur… Why did you kiss me? You knew that wouldn't help." Ariadne couldn't help but blush as she finally voiced what she'd been thinking for so long.

Arthur shrugged and slid lower in his seat. "It was worth a shot." He said, exactly as he'd said months earlier. He smirked in a playful way at the girl.

Ariadne simply glared at him. Seeing her serious reaction, Arthur sighed and spoke again.

"Ariadne, you are beautiful, brilliant, and one hell of an architect. I thought… I thought we were going to get trapped in Limbo. I thought there was no way we would both survive, so I figured, why not? We could at least have one kiss before one of us is inevitably gone. I thought we deserved it. I thought..."

Ariadne interrupted him. "Arthur, you think _way_ too much." Ariadne leaned slowly towards the point man until their lips were only inches apart.

She could nearly feel the soft touch of his lips against hers when suddenly... Arthur was gone.

Ariadne snapped awake. She opened her eyes to the familiar site of her apartment. With a look beside her, she realized that Arthur was also awake.

Blushing furiously, Ariadne ripped the wire from her arm and muttered an excuse about still being tired. She then rushed into her room and shut the door.

Arthur was left sitting stunned on the couch. This would definitely not be a topic of conversation tomorrow.

**Author's Note: So, what do you all think? I'm such a tease, I know! Reviews are very welcome. They definitely motivate me to write faster!**


	3. The Trip

**Author's Note: Thanks for the constant support everyone! This chapter starts out so awkward and angsty, but bear with me! I promise it gets nicer! As usual, I hope you enjoy. Please remember to review. Any feedback is always appreciated! Oh, and points if you find the LOST reference!**

"_**As we dance around the issue…"**_

The next morning, Ariadne ventured shyly from her room. Arthur had already folded the blanket and placed it on the table in front of the couch. He was now sitting on the couch.

"Morning, Arthur." Ariadne said, quietly.

Arthur snapped around to look at the girl. "Good morning." He then went straight to business. "Our flight is in 2 hours. Are you ready to leave? We can stop for breakfast on our way."

Ariadne was a bit surprised by Arthur's professional tone, but she hid this well. "Let me just grab my suitcase."

Arthur stood up quickly. "I'll get it." He said, without meeting the girl's eyes.

"Thanks." She muttered in an awkward response.

After checking that everything was in order, the two left the apartment and caught a cab on the street.

Several silent minutes later, Arthur and Ariadne arrived at the airport.

Arthur and Ariadne walked quickly towards their terminal. Small benches lined the walkway and Arthur fumbled awkwardly with his totem until they arrived at their flight.

Walking into the airplane, Arthur stepped aside to let Ariadne slide into the obviously very expensive window seat. Arthur settled in beside her. At this close proximity, Ariadne finally chose to bring up the events of the night before.

"We can't keep doing this, you know." She stated, loudly, while staring straight ahead.

"Doing what?" Arthur said. His expression remained stone-faced.

"Doing things in dreams that we later regret," Ariadne explained. "We work together now… permanently, I assume. We're on the same team. We can't afford to do this." The girl kept looking forward as she spoke.

Arthur turned in his seat to face her. "You're right. This… whatever it is, it needs to end. We need to be purely professional. In this job, there's no room for anything else."

"Okay, then it's settled." Ariadne agreed.

"Yes." Arthur nodded curtly and looked straight ahead.

"So, first class?" Ariadne gestured around and attempted to change the subject. "Why am I not surprised?" She added, cheerfully.

Arthur faced her coolly. "I have good taste." He answered simply.

Ariadne could feel herself unwillingly start to blush. "Tell me, uh, about the job…" She said quickly, looking down.

"The job is quite a bit more… emotional than I'm used to, but it should be a simple enough task. While I was living alone in New York, a woman approached me about performing extraction on her husband. She offered a decent amount of money and she was very… persuasive."

At this, Ariadne raised one eye slightly. "Persuasive?" She asked, doubtfully.

Arthur merely waved her off and continued.

"She's convinced he's cheating on her and wants us to find out for sure. It does sound juvenile, but exploring the depths of someone's yearning can be an extremely dangerous thing. We should be careful, as always. I've checked thoroughly and the man has had no previous training as far as dreams go. It should be a fairly quick in-and-out job." Arthur rambled out all these facts as if they'd been rehearsed. "Although," He added. "Projections have been known to get very violent when prodded about their feelings."

"You mean they get more violent than normal?" Ariadne asked, sounding shocked. "I'd hate to see that…" She trailed off.

"I'm hoping you won't have to. In fact, I was thinking maybe you could sit this one out. Design the dream, show us around, and then leave."

Ariadne suddenly raised her voice dramatically. "No! Not happening. I'm going in. There is no reason at all for me to 'sit this one out'. If you're going, I'm going."

"It's not safe, Ariadne. You've already been to Limbo once. We don't need to take that risk again. I won't allow it."

"Don't tell me what I can't do, Arthur. You have no right…" Ariadne glared at the man.

"I'm the leader of this team." He replied. "I do have the right."

"I won't do this. I won't let you…" She paused for a moment. "I won't let the team do this alone."

"Well I'm not willing to risk something happening to you!" He said loudly back.

"Arthur, I am more stubborn than you could imagine. I AM going into that dream with you. I will not leave you there alone. Anything could happen."

The point man finally sighed and didn't reply.

A small smile graced Ariadne's face. "That's a yes?" She asked brightly.

"I don't agree with this at all. If something happens, I will hold myself responsible." Arthur replied, looking straight at the girl.

"Nothing's going to happen, Arthur. Nothing will happen to any of us. Everything's going to run smoothly. This job will be perfect. It will go perfectly." Ariadne spoke confidently.

"The job never goes perfectly." He replied seriously, before leaning his chair back and closing his eyes.

Ariadne realized that their talk was over and fixed her eyes on one of the plane's small televisions. "The Notebook" was playing.

"Freakin' fantastic," Ariadne muttered to herself.

The rest of the flight was relatively calm. Arthur and Ariadne both drifted in and out of sleep. They occasionally talked about light subjects and they watched several movies.

Finally, after over 7 hours in the air, the plane came to a gentle halt on the ground. Ariadne had been asleep for the last hour of the flight and Arthur was so busy looking at her that he hardly noticed the people leaving around him. When a woman bumped into his shoulder he was jolted back to reality.

He gently shook the girl awake. "We're here…" He said, quietly.

Ariadne woke with a gasp and shot straight up, much like she had when Mal had killed her in a dream months ago. She scrambled quickly until she found Arthur's hand.

He immediately grasped her hand and placed his other hand on her shoulder. "Shh… You're awake. It's over."

Ariadne came to her senses and loosened her grip on the point man's hand, but she kept her hold on it. "Do you ever get killed in regular dreams? Like, dreams that aren't induced?" Ariadne asked, breathing heavily.

Arthur smiled slightly. "That's a nightmare and it's perfectly normal. Everyone has them. Sometimes, I think we forget because all our dreams now have a habit of being nightmares."

Ariadne suddenly laughed out loud.

"What?" Arthur asked, pulling away from her.

"This is just… total déjà vu, you know? And when Mal stabbed me in that dream, it seems like years ago, but it was only a few months." Ariadne's face suddenly turned serious. "I don't know anything about you. I mean, we don't know anything about each other! The team, we hardly know each other at all! Tell me something about yourself. What's your favorite color?" Ariadne asked, randomly.

Arthur smiled. "When we get to the warehouse, I promise to answer some questions, okay? Until then, let's just get off this plane."

Ariadne nodded and followed Arthur off of the plane.

Later, when they were in the cab, Arthur answered Ariadne's first question. "It's yellow." He blurted randomly.

"What?" Ariadne asked in a confused tone.

"My favorite color… it's yellow." He clarified.

Ariadne smiled and looked out the window. "Huh." She answered in a humorous tone. "Surprising…"

Arthur only smirked and looked out the opposite window.


	4. The Reunion

**Author's Note: Thanks always for all the wonderful reviews. I love them. The job, which is sure to be filled with some drama, takes place next chapter. Stay tuned. As always, please review! It makes me want to write that much faster. :D**

_**Our family never shared the same last name,  
but our family was a family the same.  
And they say blood is thicker than water.  
Oh, but love is thicker than blood.**_

Soon enough, Ariadne felt the cab roll to a stop outside a large, empty warehouse. It was located on the far outskirts of the city, so there was no one around. Arthur had done his job and planned this out well.

Ariadne cautiously followed Arthur through a side door on the warehouse. Inside, the building looked much like the one they'd used before the Fischer Project. Ariadne felt a strange sense of coming home when she rounded the corner and saw two members of the old team.

Eames looked exactly the same. Ariadne felt herself grinning as he picked her up into a huge hug. "How are you, darling?" He asked sweetly.

"As charming as ever, I see. I've missed you, Eames." Ariadne hugged Eames tightly.

"Although I'm rather offended you would take a job for Arthur and not for me," He gestured towards Arthur in disgust. "I'm very happy you're here." He hugged the girl back for a long moment.

Arthur shifted awkwardly behind them and coughed quietly. Eames shot the point man a curious look and let go of the girl. Arthur averted his eyes with lightning speed.

Ariadne then moved to hug Yusuf. She really had missed everyone on the team.

"Now all we need is Cobb." The girl said with a sigh.

"He's happy." Arthur said quickly, in response, as if he was trying to convince himself along with Ariadne.

"I know. But aren't we kind of like a little family? That's how I see it. The team's a family and it just feels strange without Cobb. We'll get used to it though, I'm sure." She explained.

After a few moments of catching up, Ariadne and Yusuf went to another room to discuss exactly how the dream would be designed. Arthur and Eames were left alone in the large room.

"You bloody hell better hope she doesn't look at you like a brother." Eames said suddenly. "Or even a cousin." He added.

Arthur's eyes shot up to face Eames. "Excuse me?"

Eames spoke slower this time. "I said. You… better… hope… she… doesn't…"

"Okay. I heard you! I'm asking you to clarify." Arthur interrupted.

"Well," Eames explained. "If she thought of you as a brother, your inevitable romantic relationship would be a bit insest-tastic."

Arthur's eyes widened. "Whoa." He held both his hand up. "First off, 'insest-tastic' is definitely not a word. Second, there is no 'inevitable relationship' between us. And third, you're a prick."

Eames chuckled a bit at his words. "Ah, how I've missed you, love. So if there's nothing going on between you and our dear architect, you won't mind if we… you know." Eames made a provocative and totally inappropriate gesture. "We clearly have chemistry. Did you see that hug she gave me? I was nearly…"

Arthur suddenly cut the forger off in what was nearly a yell. "NO." He calmed himself down and lowered his voice. "I mean, no. You can't do anything with Ariadne because of, uh, professional reasons." Arthur fumbled through his words. "It would… mess up the, um, dynamic of the team and… everything."

Eames grinned at him. "I knew it."

Arthur answered in a low, immature mumble. "You didn't know anything."

The other man ignored him. "I'm only joking, darling. I would never make a move on your girl. She isn't my type." With that, Arthur stood and abruptly left the room.

"Ass." Arthur said after Eames. "And she isn't my girl!" He added, after a moment.

Left alone in the room now, Arthur tried to think of reasons Ariadne wouldn't be "someone's type". He couldn't think of one reason. Eames was insane.

* * *

In the other room, Ariadne and Yusuf were discussing exactly how much detail needed to be put into the dream.

The girl learned that, like Arthur had said, this job was simple. Instead of traveling several layers into a dream, they were only going one layer down; just a simple dream. Ariadne was torn between being thankful for the easy work and being bored. It was a fine line.

She was told she'd be designing a motel where the wife was convinced her husband was meeting another woman. In reality, this motel was small and simple, but in the dream, Ariadne would have to create a place filled with long hallways and never ending staircases.

Yusuf echoed Arthur's warning about projections being very violent in these cases and told Ariadne several times to make sure to remember to make the maze a difficult one.

Ariadne listened closely and walked back into the main room once she felt she understood what she'd be designing. She found Arthur sitting in one of the blue beach chairs alone. She took a seat in a pink chair next to him.

"Tell me about your family." Ariadne spoke, breaking the silence.

Arthur looked at the girl with a confused expression.

"You said you'd answer questions." She explained.

Arthur sighed. "Yeah. Family, not exactly a good subject. I've lived on my own since I was 15." He answered.

Ariadne's eyes widened. "Why… How could you, could anyone do that?" She asked in shock.

"My mother left when I was a baby. My father was an extractor as well. He was never home. I was an only child. One day, I just left. I doubt he even noticed." Arthur's voice briefly showed an extreme amount of emotion. He caught himself and cleared his throat.

"No more family questions." Ariande said simply, gazing up at the point man.

"My family is here, in the job." Arthur gestured around slightly. "I've worked with Cobb for years. The team, it's always what's been family. You, Yusuf, even Eames, though, God, I'd never… ever tell him, they're important. Family doesn't have to be blood.

Ariadne smiled. "You're exactly right." She agreed shortly. "So… next question."

Arthur and Ariadne talked for at least an hour before Eames swaggered into the room. "Okay, love birds, food's in there with Yusuf." He pointed towards the other room.

The two blushed and walked to the other room. Arthur shot Eames a dirty look on his way out. Everyone ate together, talking and catching up on the last 2 months. After the meal, Arthur announced that there were cots set up in several of the smaller rooms.

Because they were taking on their first job the next day, everyone split up and went to bed early. Arthur bid Ariadne a polite goodnight. Eames smiled to himself as he watched the two part ways. He found them bloody adorable. Although, he would never… ever tell Arthur that.


	5. The Job

**Author's Note: Hardest chapter to write EVER. Seriously, I had the toughest time getting through this. I'm sorry for the wait, and I know this kind of sucks. Everything should be much lighter and cuter after this. Please review!**

The next morning, everyone on the team got a very early start. The plan was to go to the mark, Joseph Page's, apartment, and sedate him from there. After he was sedated Arthur, Ariadne, and Eames would travel into his dream. Yusuf was staying out to keep watch.

The dream would be a relatively short one. Ariadne had already explained the motel she'd created in great detail. Everything was running smoothly. For once, everyone was beginning to believe that the job was going to work without any problems.

After having a brief breakfast, the team left for Joseph Page's house. Eames had rented, or stolen, a car for the job. No one was quite sure where he had gotten it, and no one asked. Arthur ran over the plans for what seemed like the hundredth time in the car.

"We're all clear? We sedate and hook up Page. Eames, Ariadne, and I will travel into his dream. Yusuf stays out. Eames will disguise himself as the apparent mistress and find out where the secrets will be. Ariadne and I will wait for further instructions in one of the motel rooms. When Eames calls and tells us where the safe is, we'll head there; a quick in and out. The wife is staying close by. Once we get the information, we deliver it to her. Any questions?" Arthur spoke quickly, in a rehearsed tone.

The rest of the team shook their heads. They could all basically say the plan backwards by now.

Several moments passed before the car rolled to a stop in front of a large, brick apartment complex. "We're here." Eames called from the driver's seat.

The team stepped out of the car. Yusuf and Arthur both had their hands full with supplies for the job. Ariadne stepped forward first. "Alright." She said, taking a deep breath and reaching to grab the door of the complex.

At Page's door, Arthur spoke in a whisper. He gestured at Eames. Eames stepped forward and knocked on the door with his right hand. He held a syringe in his hidden left hand.

Joseph Page opened the door and Eames immediately brought the needle into his neck.

"Perfect." Eames commented on his work with a grin.

Arthur stepped forward and helped Eames carry the man into the room and onto a chair.

"Alright, let's work fast. Yusuf, get him properly sedated." Yusuf stepped forward, stuck Page with several more syringes, and retreated behind Arthur quickly.

While the others were working on Joseph Page, Ariadne was able to get a clear look at him. He was young, mid-twenties, probably. His dark brown hair clashed with his fair skin. He was, the girl thought, very attractive.

Arthur stepped forward and hooked the mark up, blocking Ariadne's view of him. When he was dreaming, the point man hooked Eames into the dream.

Arthur, Ariadne, and Yusuf were now awake. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Arthur asked Ariadne.

She tried not to glare at him. He was only worried because he cared. "I want to do this." She answered with a nod.

Arthur sighed and hooked her up to the dream. He brushed a bit of fallen hair out of her face and sat next to her on the bed. He then hooked himself up and closed his eyes.

* * *

Ariadne opened her eyes to the check-in room of the shabby motel. She knew this place. She had designed this dream and it was perfect. It was subtle, yet she knew that it was a difficult maze as well.

She heard a movement behind her and turned to see Arthur straightening his suit. An attractive blonde woman walked in the door. She strolled confidently towards the point man and placed her small hand on his shoulder. She moved her hips closer to him.

"Eames, knock it off. I know it's you." Arthur said, moving away from the girl.

"Damn!" The small girl exclaimed. "Okay. I'm going up to his room."

"Get the safe details. Then call…"

"Stop worrying your pretty little head, Arthur." Eames interrupted. "I know the plan. Now you two go have fun in your room. Alone. For however long you'll be there. Together. All by…"

Arthur cut him off, his face turning a telling red. "Eames go!"

"Arthur, darling, don't forget to wear a…"

"EAMES." Arthur shouted.

The blonde woman that was Eames winked and left in a surprisingly graceful walk.

Arthur mumbled rude things about the man as he walked towards the room they would wait in. Ariadne followed him silently. They each took a seat on the bed of the motel room. Arthur closed the door.

"Sorry about… that." Arthur mumbled.

"Oh, it's only Eames. You know." The girl answered awkwardly.

The man shrugged. "He likes to meddle. He's always been this way. Once, on an old case, he attempted to set me up with a girl we were working for. It was really…"

Ariande interrupted. "Arthur, I, uh, don't need to know about your former, um… lovers."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "_Attempted_ to set me up," He emphasized.

The girl forced a smile. "Yeah, of course,"

The door of the room suddenly burst open. A crowd of projections rushed into the room.

"What the…" Arthur started, before being cut off with a gunshot to the head. He fell immediately to the ground.

Ariadne let out a scream and fell to his side. It took only a moment for one of the angry projections to shoot her as well. Their bodies lay side by side on the ground.

* * *

The point man shot up quickly. He took a gasping breath and looked around his surroundings. He was back on the outside.

Yusuf rushed to his side. "That wasn't the kick. I mean, there was no kick at all. Why are you awake?" He questioned, fumbling to help Arthur remove the wires from his arm.

"I…we… the projections…" Arthur glanced around. Joseph Page was still sedated in one of the lawn chairs, along with Ariadne and Eames.

"The projections got us." The point man finally answered.

Ariadne suddenly shot up. She scrambled to remove the wires from her arm as well. "What happened?" She asked, brushing her hair out of her face.

"I don't know," Arthur said, beginning to regain composure. "Maybe Eames didn't fool Page. He must have realized he was dreaming and the projections reacted."

"Does that ever happen?" The architect asked, looking at Arthur with a worried expression.

"Rarely," He answered shortly.

Ariadne pulled the wrinkles out of her shirt and straightened it. "Well, what now? We go back, right?"

Arthur stood and pulled Eames' body out of the lawn chair. "We're giving him the kick. Now." The point man dropped the dreamer back out of his chair.

Eames suddenly woke up with a gasp. He scrambled to his feet. In an instant, he was up and hugging Arthur tightly.

The point man jumped back automatically. "Eames! WHOA."

Ariadne giggled to herself.

Eames shook a wavering hand in the air towards him. "You may be a stick in the mud with no imagination at all, but darling, I am thankful for you right now."

Arthur simply stared at the other man in shock. His jaw had already dropped during the hug.

Ariadne finally spoke up. "What happened in there, Eames?"

The forger drew a shaky breath and sat back down. "They tortured me." He answered in response.

"The projections? No, they don't torture. They don't have the mental capacity for that." Arthur spoke confidently.

"Well love, they do now."

Arthur ran a hand through his hair. He began pacing the room. "Cobbs said the projections would be hostile, but this? I have never heard of projections acting so intelligently."

"Oh, they're intelligent all right!" Eames piped up. "They had tricks. They made me want to die. I prayed for the kick. Thanks again." He gestured slightly towards Arthur.

"How… how did he know?" Yusuf asked from the corner of the warehouse room.

Eames gestured at Joseph, who was still asleep on one of the chairs. "He knew. He was prepared. I don't know how, but someone must have tipped him off."

Arthur began packing things around the warehouse up.

Ariadne looked at him with a puzzled expression. "What are you doing?" She asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.

He glanced at her, then turned and faced Yusuf. "How long can you keep Page under?"

Yusuf looked down at his supplies and shrugged slightly. "10 minutes tops," He answered, already reaching down to begin further sedating the man.

"Everyone pack up. We're leaving." Arthur spoke defiantly.

Eames and Ariadne glanced doubtfully at each other, before moving to grab their things.

The team was out of the warehouse in 4 minutes.

"Now what?" Eames asked quietly.

Arthur looked out the window. "We run." He answered.


End file.
